True story.
Twenty-one years ago, in the early evening, my pretty standard political day was coming to an end.
But as I explain in the VIDEO above, a much bigger drama soon began.
Right around seven, as I arrived home, I was abducted at gunpoint by two teenagers, who held me hostage over the next hour or so in my own car. (I’ll spare the details, but trust me, it felt like a lot longer than an hour).
After that harrowing incident ended, and after I called 911 to report the crime, phase 2 of the drama kicked off within hours. It began with a single question, then some whispers, then came an incredibly unhelpful headline and lede sentence…
...which soon built into a steady drumbeat, and ultimately full-brown rumors, innuendo and public mocking—that I’d made it up, or that it didn’t happen the way I said it did, or that I had been doing something wrong to instigate it.
And unlike the initial hour, that second phase lasted far longer. Heck, long after my two abductors were arrested and sentenced to jail for eight years, the doubts and rumors still circulated. The questions still asked. For years.
The details of the hour remain with me vividly to this day—not just each step along the way, but the initial fear, my need to gain control of the situation (which I did for much of the hour), the later loss of that control and complete uncertainty of my fate (ie. being blindfolded), and the ultimate exhilaration of being freed.
But the lessons from the incident itself also remain. About how fear lingers well beyond that hour. About the anger that wells up later that another human being put you in the position of fearing for your life. The emotions that churn up even years later, at seeing news coverage of similar incidents—especially those that end far worse than mine. And more.
But the lessons about what happened following that hour also run deep. What it feels like to have your account questioned. Every detail of your response dissected and doubted, by some at least, as if they know how they would respond in such a situation. And on the other hand, lessons about the incredible empathy and kindness by others—often by complete strangers. How moving and uplifting those responses can be.
All this has remained with me so intensely, I decided to write a book about it.
A novel, in fact,
It’s called “The Fifth Vote,” I started it close to three years ago, and I’m releasing it today.
In it, I try to capture the facts and emotions from the incident itself as best as it can. I do try to put the reader in the front seat of my car, experiencing through my main character’s eyes what I experienced directly. The details of the incident in the book largely reflect what actually happened.
And I also try to capture the emotional whipsaw that followed the incident—the intense media coverage, the growing doubts, the questioning of the story and my reactions. The roller coaster of fearing for your life at one moment, then fearing for your reputation and professional future only days later.
BUT, to be clear, this is a novel.
The plot that follows the incident is pure fiction, as are the characters throughout the book. In many ways, I take the incident that happened to me and use it to center a plot of something that is much darker. Think of it as a worst-case scenario of what happened to me, where there’s no evidence backing my main character’s story (in my case, there was), and where my main character ultimately contends with worse luck and ill-intended characters I fortunately did not have to deal with.
But like my other political novels, the book tries to tie into broader themes and topics of politics that occur today.
Needless to say, it’s a unique story. And, most important, as with any novel, I hope it’s a compelling and page-turning one. And one which may give you some added perspective of what many people go through (frankly, in ways far worse than I had to deal with).
The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a nice feature on the book today:
If you’ve enjoyed my other novels, I think you’ll like this one. If you’ve never read one of them, I suggest this one as a good place to start.
You can grab your copy on-line at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.Org., among other retailers.
Or ask for it at your local independent bookstore—if you’re in Cincinnati, Joseph-Beth Booksellers has some copies I just signed this morning:
However you get it, I hope you enjoy it. And I look forward to your feedback.
David
NEW Book: “The Fifth Vote”